Rapid-fire (8/2/23)

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In today's edition...
🚀 iRocket 🤝 AFRL
⭐ Voyager, Airbus team on Starlab
📄 Space contracting opportunities
💸 The term sheet

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iRocket Partners with AFRL on Reusable Rocket

iRocket announced a partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory today, which will give the company exclusive access to a test facility at Edwards Air Force Base and the opportunity to collaborate on its reusable rocket.

The AFRL Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) will help accelerate development of its methalox engines and fully reusable Shockwave rocket. The collaboration augments iRocket’s existing partnership with the USSF’s Space Systems Command.

“We're very excited about our partnership with AFRL,” iRocket CEO Asad Malik told Payload. “We're able to take over that space, build it up, and use it for the testing we're doing for our Space Systems Command agreement.”

• The project—which involves building test stands, testing its engines, and a demo launch—is expected to cost $18M. Both iRocket and AFRL are contributing to the funding.

• To support this next development stage, iRocket has quietly engaged a select group of investors to begin raising a Series A.

The company has tested its engine on a smaller scale, but the AFRL partnership will allow it to test its engines at a higher thrust class.

A fully reusable iRocket: iRocket is developing a 100% reusable rocket, aiming to offer low-cost and rapid access to space. Its Shockwave rocket is designed to transport 2,200 kg to LEO.

How it works:

• Shockwave employs methalox-fueled expander cycle engines.

• Nine fully-reusable engines will power the first stage.

• The first and second stages, including the appended fairing, will both land back at the launch site post-flight.

• The company expects a 24-hour turnaround time and minimal refurbishment between reused flights.

“Once our vehicle comes back down, we will do damage assessment, maintenance, refueling, and then we're ready to relaunch,” said Malik.

The New York-based startup plans to launch Shockwave as early as 2027.

Pentagon rapid-fire: Half of iRocket’s funding to date has come from the government. The Pentagon is investing in responsive launch and the ability to deploy satellites with a 24-hour notice to quickly respond to new needs in orbit or to replace assets that might be taken out by adversaries in times of conflict.

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Learn more about how NASA’s Space Launch System is paving the way for humanity to go farther than it has ever gone before.

Voyager and Airbus Team Up To Replace The ISS

Two major space companies are joining forces to make a commercial successor to the ISS a reality.

On Tuesday, Voyager Space and Airbus Defence and Space announced a joint venture to build and operate Starlab, a LEO space station designed by Nanoracks, a department of Voyager Space.

“The International Space Station is widely regarded as the most successful platform for global cooperation in space history,” Voyager Space President Matthew Kuta said in a statement. “We are establishing this joint venture to reliably meet the known demand from global space agencies while opening new opportunities for commercial users.”

Some context: If this news sounds a bit familiar, it’s because Airbus and Voyager announced in January that Airbus would offer technical design support for Starlab. Now, the company is taking on a bigger role by having a hand in also building and operating the station.

The station is expected to be operational by 2028, and it’s inching closer to that goal: back in June, Starlab passed its systems requirement review, which proved its ability to meet NASA’s mission readiness and safety baseline requirements.

A commercial future: The future of space is looking a lot different than it did when the ISS launched in the ‘90’s. Now, space stations need to hold up to more use cases in commercial space exploration (movies in space, anyone?). We’re living in a world—ahem, universe—where countries could access space without an enormous upfront investment, or tourists could spend a couple nights among the stars.

Starlab, which is partially funded by a $160M Space Act agreement with NASA, is expected to be able to hold four people and will be used to conduct scientific research.

More to come: Starlab isn’t the only commercial space station in the works. NASA has awarded Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman major space station contracts through its Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) program.

Space habitation company Vast is also working on its Haven-1 space station, which is expected to launch in 2025, and Axiom is building its own station, in addition to already sending private astronauts to the ISS.

Join Us For Our Next Webinar!

The Payload team is excited to host a webinar on "Automation vs. Manual Action in Satellites." In this conversation, we will discuss Satellite companies and how they are dealing with automation vs. manual tasks within their operations.

Space Opportunities

Here are the top government opportunities for space companies this week, as compiled by our partner TZero.

🪖 USSF SSC Commercial Space Office released an RFI seeking feedback on the planned Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) that would leverage commercial data sources in wartime and emergency situations. Responses are due Aug. 11.

🚀 NASA released the annual on-ramp for the NASA Launch Services II contract for new launch entrants. Responses are due Aug. 14.

☁️ NASA GSFC has released an RFP for the Atmosphere Observing System - Sky Radiometer Instrument Special Study. Responses are due Aug. 30.

Additional opportunities and details can be found in the TZero Space Tracker.

In Other News

• Privateer is starting an online marketplace to connect data seekers with satellites in orbit.

• NASA reconnected with Voyager 2 after brief comms blackout.

• The Mars Ascent Vehicle successfully conducted tests of its rocket motors as the broader Mars Sample Return program remains in limbo.

• Antares 230+ launched for its final time on a CRS mission to the ISS.

The View from Space

Earth looks like a paint palette in these colorful snaps from astronaut Woody Hoburg aboard the ISS.